Improvement in saw-mills



dilated Quatre WILLIAM M. WILKIN, 0F

KALAMAZGO, MICHIGAN.

- Letters Patent No. 108,665, dated October 25, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAW-MILLS.

Thel Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the sama To all whom 'it may concerny Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. WILKIN, of Kalamazoo, inthe county of Kalamazoo, in the State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Saw-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that kind of saw-mills known as gang-mule'y'savmills; and

The object of the invention is to construct the mill in such wayy as that the saws are moved to make their cut through the log instead of moving or setting the log to the saw; and

The invention consists in the special construction of' the upper and lower muley-heads, slides, and the 'guide-ways upon which the muley-'heads slide, the

means by which the saws are set or moved with relation to the log, the method of' connecting the saws to thepitmen and the slide-block in the upper muleyhead, the spring sliding guide-keeper, that can beadjusted at any desired height on the upper muley-heads, and serving to guide the saw and. hold the slide-block to 4which the saw is attached in its place, and in the construction of the log-carriage, by which the 10g re'- niains stationary on the head-blocks of the carriage, and can be reciprocated entirely past the saws in either direction.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is an upright front view of the mill with my invention;

Figure 2 is an uprightside view of the same;

Figure 3 is an upright view of some of the parts enlarged.

Figure 4 is an upright side view of upper muleyhead; and

Figure 5 is a top or plan view of the same, with the devices for moving the saw.

A represents the frame that supports the mill, and it may be constructed in anyforni to produce the best eiect.

B is a driving-shaft, upon which are two crankwheels, B' B', and gets its motion .from the crank C, shaft G', driving-pulley C, belt c, going over pulley C and pulle)T on shaft B', or motion can be given it by any other known means.

a a are the cranks on crank-wheels B', and to which pitmen b b are xed.

Pitmen b b go from cranks aa, and are attached to the horizontal slide-rod 7) and extend above it, and have the slide-block slide in the same groove with the ends of slide b' in the slides b" b, by which connection, the llower end of the saw is caused to be advanced forward or be thrown hack rapidly at a particular part of every revolution of the crank-wheels B.

The lower slides b" b are constructed to have the perpendicular or nearly perpendicular grooves, in which the ends of the horizontal slide-rod b' and the slideblock attached to the upper end of the pitmen freely slide in their reciprocations, to receive and holdthe guide-rods upon which the muley-heads slide, have the journals of the setting-screws that moveor set the saws and muley-,heads therein, and brackets in which are journaled the shafts that carry gear-wheels to revolve the setting-screws.

Slidingrod b is made of the same diameter from the inside of slide b, but larger than the width of the groove in slide b" and the saw-buckle at the lower end of the saw, and at its lower end has a thirnble, d',

that slides freely but closely thereon, admitting the.

saw and muley-head to slide in either direction, as may be desired. c c' are guide-rods or ways, tirml y attached to slides b" at their ends, and upon which the muley-heads slide by the thimbles d', which are similar to the thimhles on the lower end of the saw-buckle that slide on sliderod b'.

The lower muley-blocks (l are constructed to receive a guide to the saw in a slot that separates the sides,

except at each end. This slot is long enough to allow the reciprocation ofthe guide at the lower end of the saw with the saw without striking at either end of the slot. At or near the upper end 'of' the lower muley-heads are holes to receive the wooden guidepins g g.

The upper mnley-heads are constructed to have a deep slot in their forward edge, deep enough and wide enough to receive the saw, and allow it to freely reciprocate therein Without striking or rubbing, with holes and thimbles d', to freely slide upon guide-rods 'c' c, which pass through the muley-heads and into the plates b b, that are made fast to frame A, and are Aconstructed like the lower side plates, with the exception of the. grooves in which the slide-blocks and ends of the guide-rod slide, having the; same or similar brackets to support the upright shaft c.

In each of the upper muley-heads are inclined slots d, and fitting therein are vslide-blocks f, which have nearly the same thickness as the sides of the muleyhead, and in the center of this slide-block f is a bolt or pin f', which pin goes through the two slide-blocks f and through the top of the saw between the slideblocks.

Upon the front part of each of the upper muieyheads is placed an adjustable sliding-keeper, F, that is plainly shown in rigs. 3, 4, and 5, composed of the two flat side plates, with a spring bow or bend, F', on the front edges, at the top, and near to the bottom ends.

On the inner side of one ofthe side plates projects a small pin, c', that, when the spring-keeper is put in its place, fits and slides in a groove, c', in the side of the muley-head, as shown in said 'gs. 3, 4, and 5.

The purpose .0f this construction is that the spring in the bow orbend F' is just sufiicientto hold the side plates iu close contact with the outer sides of the upper muley-heads at :c sv, seen in fig. 5, as against t-he friction of the saw between guides g g, side-blocks f, and the weight of the keeper itself, at the same time keeping the slide-blocks f that carry the upper end of the saw truly in their places in their recipro cations, while the pin fi, sliding in groove fi', prevents Vany movement of the keeper in a horizontal direction, `In order to adjust the saws to any desired point and have the upper and llower ends move exactly the same distance, settinglscrews E are arranged in such way that they turn in nuts in the muley-heads, and are journaled in the plates b" b in such. manner as that they will not move longitudinally, and at the outer ends of each setting-screw a miter gear-wheel, e, is rmly secured, which gears into another .similar gear-wheel, e,that is fast upon the setting-shalt c', which has a setting-disk, e, serrated on its periphery, by which shaft e is revolved in either direction.

.-This setting-shaft ye extends from the upper to the lower muley-heads, and has the gear-wheels e so arranged thereon as to operatethe. setting-screws E, that work in nuts in the upper and'lower muley-heads,

thus moving the upper and lower mnley-heads with supported upon and journaled in suitable 'brackets if.`

on plates b" b".

In the drawing, but one setting-screw E to each muleyhead is shown, but in practice two of such setting-screws are used, as may be seen inthe broken lines in figs. 1 and 3, by which arrangement both ends of each muleyhead must move the same distance as the other, without in any way binding or clamping in the movement of the muley-heads upon the guide-rods or ways It will be observed thatthe two-upper and lower muley-heads are independent of each other, that is, the upper and lower nancy-heads, and the saw working therein on one side of the log, are moved and ad'- justed independently of the muley-heads on the other side of the log, as there-are provided two sets of setting-shafts and screws 4that are operatedseparately, as they are not connected in any way,thi 1s providing for the saws to be set toward 'each other and toward the center of the log-carriage in equal or unequal distances, as may be desired, and wherebyptwo distinct sizes of lumber may be cut from the same log at the same time and same reciprocation of the log-carriage.

The construction of the mulcy-heads and the movement of the saws in setting them to the log, as above described, necessitates a different constructionv of logcarriage to adapt itself to the adjustment of the saws with relation to the log to be sawed, and to accomplish this construction of carriage, K K represents the usual log-carriage sides sliding over longitudinal ways l l.

These carriage sides are connected together at each end by the cross-girts le 7c, to the under side of which, and extending longitudinally a sufficient distance and arallel with the sides, and centrally between them,

s the head-blocks It, that supports the log, and by which it is held in place while it is being sawcd; and on the under side, near the inner end of each of the head-blocks la kf, and securely attached thereto by means of arms fm', is a supporting-truck or wheel, lm.. This wheel m supports the head-block 7.1' and the maca.

log L, which rests upon the head-block, and the wlieel m 'runs on the track or guide-way l', which is placed on and supported by the frame A centrally between and parallel with the ways VZ l.

Above the head-blocks It" t, and rmly attached thereto, is post n, with holes therein to drive 'a pointed bolt or pin, o, into the end of the log L, whereby the log. is firmly held in its place until completely sawed into the required size or sizes of lumber.

The construction of the log-carriage may be varied from this description without departing from the principles of the invention, as the head-blocks that support the ends of the log must from necessity extend inward far enough to let the-saw pass completely by the end of the log to be set for the next cut.

The construction of the slides or guides c may also -be varied, as V-shaped edged bed-plates or bars may be used instead of the round rods or guides. So mayV the sliding horizontal guide-bar b', to which the pitmen and lower ends of the saw are attached be changed in form, and have V-'shaped edges instead of being round. It may also, and preferably it is so made as to be hollow or tubular, whichmakes it lighter, and hasstrength enough left for all practical purposes. I am aware saws have been made and arranged witlrother devices to be set tothe log instead oi' setting the log to the saw, but such arrangements are. confined to saws hung and strained in frames or sashes, which make the moving of the saw in any'direction very difficult and never to be depended upon as correct; and I am not aware that any attempt has been made previous to my invention in setting what are termed mulcy-saws to the log, and especially so when more than one saw is used. v

.Having thus described my invention,

XVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patl. The arrangement, in a saw-mill, of one or more muley-saws with the muley-heads in which such saw or saws reciprocate, whereby they can be set to the logto saw lumber of thc same or diiercnt dimensions, instead of setting the log to the saw, in thc manner and by the means herein described.A

2. The reciprocating guide-rodb, lowermuleyfheads al, saw D, and its connecting devices with the guide- 4rod, in combination with the pitmen b b, having the `saws D, in combination with the setting-screws E,

guide-rods c', gear-wheels e, and setting-shaft e', in the manner and for the purpose described. 6. The log-carriage, when constructed with the sides K K, cross-girts k, inwardly-projecting head-blocks 7c 7c', supporting wheels vm, and bearing upon track l', in the manner and for the purpose described.

WMVM. WILKIN.

Witnesses:

J osnUA WINDoEs, CHARLES H. BOOTH. 

